Australian Sports Sedans Database - Histories And Whereabouts

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Mark, those are cool! I've always loved the Tindal A9X. But that Carling RX7 was just wild! I assume Des Wall is in the ex-HDT Beast II?

[markec]

I can Email you the complete article, to post on here it would be tiny.

[gazza]

Here's a couple of pic's for the collection

[gazza]

[gazza]

[thunder427]

Here's a couple of pic's for the collection

...Phil Ward 'Black' Escourt and in the X-Bob Jane Monaro

[thunder427]

...John Brigg's in the X- Red Dawson Monza

[/QUOTE]

....Bob Jane with the 'Race' overals at 1/2 mast.....Pat Purrcell with the 'Kleber' Tee Shirt and the worried look....Harvey Spencer, Team Mechanic who now lives in England where he very succesfully manages / tuitors young Formula One Talent...the soon to be re-painted Y.E.L.L.O.W Monaro,back to Red with 'Graphics'....my first 'Gig' for team Bob Jane!!!!..........thunder427/MJ

[thunder427]

...the Bryan Thompson 'Sports Sedan' attack weapon !!!,what a great package !! he Nearly unseated Bob Janes dominence !!


....behind the x-Thompson VW,The Defoe 'IMP',extremely Quick requiring a very brave man to get it around cnrs!!!



..Bob Janes 'personal' Benz in outside the teams pit !!!!...that building is still there today,but much has changed over the years.

...Moffat in the seat,Ron the Harrop in the EH,possible the Bob Stevens Mustang in Blue over the Back.....where is 'Aussiemonza' when you need the facts??????.....huge Dirt Spectator Mound where these cars where originally parked now days (Melb City is directly behind Horizon) ...............Regards thunder427/MJ

[markec]

Those are some seriously good Photo's

[gazza]

Pete Geoghegan's Monaro ...... full story AMC No21

Thompsons VW AMC No40

[bry3500]

Great thread and pics on the Gardner Corvair
http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=173453

[Ellis]

The photos that Gazza has kindly posted belong to Perry Drury here in Launceston Tas.
He had them professionally converted at great expense and a credit showing him as the photographer
wouldnt go amiss.

Ellis

[jnr356]

great memories,thanks for the pics

[Steve Holmes]

One of the best, and most exciting of the earlier Aussie Sports Sedans was the HQ/HJ Monaro raced by Pete Geoghegan throughout the 1975 and '76 Australian Sports Sedan Championships. Here is an article I wrote about the car for The Roaring Season last year:



History has produced a number of burley racing cars, just as it has a number of burley racing drivers. But big Aussie Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan, and his booming HJ Monaro sports sedan were an effective, memorable combination, that combined both. For two spectacular seasons, in 1975 and ’76, Geoghegan and his Monaro were a formidable combination and crowd favorite.

Geoghegan had taken a step back in his motor racing efforts following the conclusion of the 1972 Australian Touring Car Championship. Having won the ATCC five times by that stage, he sold his powerful but often ill-handling XY GT Falcon, the last car he’d contested the old outgoing Improved Production category with, and would spend the rest of an erratic racing career driving other peoples cars.

With the rapid emergence in Australia of Sports Sedan racing in the early 1970s, and the rich prize purses on offer, teams scrambled to build ever-more radical machinery to take advantage of the relaxed rules, and steal a share of the rewards. Oran Park, near Sydney, was the first race track in Australia to fully embrace the wild Sports Sedan machines, and in 1972 they announced a 5 round series at the track, with menswear brand Toby Lee and the Grace Bros department store chain tipping in A$15,000 prize money. The following year, they doubled their investment to $30,000.



Geoghegan entered the Toby Lee series in 1973, driving a Porsche 911 owned by wealthy businessman Laurie O’Neil. The sophisticated little Porsche’s were formidable on the challenging Oran Park layout against the V8 competition, and 911 pilot Bill Brown almost won the series. But O’Neil knew he’d have to invest heavily for 1974, to give Geoghegan any chance against opposition that was both more purposeful, and expensive, and set about having John Sheppard build him a new Holden HQ Monaro coupe. Sheppard had already built a number of very successful racing sedans, including Geoghegans ATCC winning (1966, 67, 68, 69) Mustangs, and Bob Janes HQ Monaro and ATCC winning (1971, 72) ZL1 Camaro.

[Steve Holmes]

Part 2:



After its encouraging debut, the ambitious plans for 1975 didn’t quite pan out. The car was to run the full Oran Park and Calder series’, but appearances and results were spasmodic and the Monaro suffered a spate of mechanical failures. Over the offseason the car was rebuilt, and underwent a radical transformation with the addition of huge box flared guards, and broad full-width rear spoiler, which made the already big car look even larger. Also, the nose of the Monaro was reverted back to earlier HQ guise, as demanded by CAMS, as the HJ model wasn’t available as standard with the 350ci Chevy motor.

For 1976, the Confederation for Australian Motorsport (CAMS) announced Sports Sedans would finally get Australian championship recognition, and a 7 round national championship was conducted. Geoghegan missed round 1, but finished second in round 2 at Sandown, behind Allan Moffats new IMSA DeKon Monza, beating the Monza in the second heat. Mechanical failures at the next two rounds brought no points, while a troubled round 5 at Adelaide netted fifth. And that was the last appearance the car made in the ’76 ASSC. Geoghegan made two appearances in the 1976 Marlboro series at Calder Park, finishing second to Frank Gardners rapid new Chev Corvair in round 3, while not making the finish in the opening round.

The car was fast, and there was no doubting Geoghegans ability behind the wheel, but the project had been a series of frustrations that fell well short of its potential.

At the end of the season, O’Neil put the Monaro on the market, and was purchased by current Australian V8 Supercar team owner Garry Rogers, to replace his rapid Ford Escort. The Monaro was raced throughout the 1970s and into the ‘80s by various owners, before eventually being retired. Amazingly, the car was modified little beyond its 1976 configuration, although mechanical components were replaced at various times.



Big Pete Geoghegans wild Monaro is currently undergoing a full restoration, thankfully to its original, and more appealing, 1975 configuration.

Thanks to Roaring Season members Ellis and Faminz for their contributions to this thread.

[Steve Holmes]

Plus some related video which I must have watched 100 times!

Part 1:

[Steve Holmes]

Part 2:

[bry3500]

[thunder427]

[QUOTE=gazza;14035]Here's a couple of pic's for the collection



..Guy with back to the Camera,Mick 'Spiderman' Webb, talking to the late John Anderson,who went on to be very sucessfull in the USA motorsport world......thunder427/MJ

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks for that info Myles. So was the Corvair outlawed by CAMS, rather than voluntarily retired by Gardner? Gardner had Grice in a BMW for 1980.

Here is Gardner in the Corvair at Bay Park, in late 1976, during its NZ visit, chasing Jack Nazers Victor Chevy.